The Effects of Dual-Career Families on Adolescents' Sex-Role Attitudes, Work and Family Plans, and Choices of Important Others

Abstract

This study compares sex-role attitudes and choices of significant others and role models of adolescents from dual-career families and traditional single-earner families. Adolescents from dual-career families have less traditionsl sex-role attitudes and prefer a dual-worker family structure relative to adolescents from traditional single-earner families. The data show that the influences of family structure varies both by sex of respondent and by type of role under consideration. A positive feedback loop is created in which dual-career families produce children who will form dual-career families when they marry; the number of individuals with egalitarian sex-role attitudes and behaviors should also increase. Peers and same-sex parents have the greatest influence on sex role regardless of family structure. Potential interactions between dual-career families and variables such as ethnicity age of the children and the mothers attitudes toward her employment also should be explored in future work. (authors modified)